What's found is found
by cheeses
Summary: Rose Weasley had always been under the impression her Mother and her Aunt Ginny hated each other, but when she finds an old shoe box full of old letters and photographs between the women it is apparent what lies behind their family facade is madness. -Adult themes-
1. You're leaving

**The ages in this fic are a little shoddy and roughly worked out, but I don't think that's a major concern. I just wanted to write a more 'adult' fic to set apart from my other ones. **

**Enjoy**

* * *

Ginny Weasley had tried all day to ignore the fact she had to go to dinner with her brother and his wife. Ginny had shoved the importance of the event to the recesses of her mind and intended it to stay. Harry had taken note on that Sunday afternoon, his wife was grumpy and uncommunicative. He gained this insight after she launched a packet Bourbons at him when he mentioned the dinner.

This wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time Ginny had expressed deep distaste going to Ron's house.

"Gin" Harry slunk into the living room where his wife resided. Curled up on the couch, with an issue of 'Quidditch Quarrels' in her hands, he knew she was procrastinating.

"Yes?" Ginny huffed and flicked a page over, her eyes scanned the words, but the meaning of those tiny printed letters missed her mind.

"Aren't you getting ready?" Harry spoke, but his words were distant as his attention latched on an argument upstairs, James and Albus.

His boys were well into their teens; their gruff voices were easy to distinguish.

"Nope" Ginny flicked another page over, the crinkle of the paper toyed through their unspoken words.

Harry closed his eyes and took of his glasses to rub them on his shirt.

"Please, let's not do this again"

"I could say the same thing" Ginny slapped the magazine shut and tossed it across the room to land on their black leather arm chair.

"Dad!" Albus yelled from the landing. Harry put his glasses back on and turned his whole body in the direction of the staircase.

"I'll be there in a minuet Al"

"But Dad, James is being a…"

"_For Merlin's sake_- I'll be there _soon _Albus"

Ginny had taken Harry and their son's bickering to slip out of the living room and fuss with the shoe rack by the front door.

"Gin-what the- _oh come on_ Ginny" Harry groaned from the living room and swung around the door frame to glare at this wife. "Stop being childish"

Ginny rose to her feet and jutted a finger at him, her eyes narrowed to replicate a glare only Molly Weasley could have taught her.

"Don't you dare call me childish"  
"Well tell me the bloody reason why you won't go. Tell me why you never want to go" Harry flung his arms up over his head and hisses his words into a rushed string of aggression.

Ginny quirked an eyebrow, but gave no answer, this was a usual occurrence. However the reason always thumped behind Ginny's ears and within her skull whenever she was asked.

If Harry knew, it would probably be the catalyst to an aneurysm.

"I'll sort the boys out, I'll get ready. Happy now, Potter?" Ginny pushed past him. Harry rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth.

The one thing he hated was the fact that Ginny called him Potter, with anyone else it was fine, but with Ginny, it was a derogatory term of a sort.

At least he had gotten Ginny to get ready.

One step forward would be three leaps back at Ron's house, he just knew it.

* * *

Harry had slipped on a simple navy shirt, not a far cry from his casual wear, but at least he felt more presentable. Ginny had avoided wearing a dress, like most of the time and opted to wear a white blouse tucked into black trousers and slipped on a leather jacket. Lily often said she looked like a Muggle detective when wearing such clothes.

Albus and James had both be harangued into wearing jumpers, it was the Christmas holidays and Ginny wasn't in the mood to let them get colds. More so, she didn't want to be picking up snotty tissues for two weeks.

Lily hung at her Mother's side, staring up at her with admiration.

"I want to become a detective" she stated once she slipped into the back seat of their car, this was often Harry's preferred mode of transport when Ginny was in a mood, it would let him play music whilst traveling on winding roads and speeding past ancient hedge rows to Ron's abode.

"Do you?" Ginny buckled the thirteen year old in, much to Lily's distaste.

"Yes, I think it would be fun, I'd get to use a gun and not a wand" she spoke while batting away Ginny's hands.

Ginny shrugged at her daughter, before standing back to let Albus get in.

"Do whatever you want, but don't come to me in ten years' time with a bullet lodged in your shoulder"

James chuckled to himself and complained about being crushed when Albus got in, shoving Lily, who was at in the middle seat, into his side.

Ginny shut the door with a solid thud and got in the passenger seat.

"You know I hate traveling by car Harry"

"We all can't get what we want" Harry grumbled and flicked through the radio stations whilst backing out of their driveway.

"What is this?" Ginny hissed as a song blurred through the speakers.

"It's just David Bowie" Harry sighed and turned it up louder.

"I don't mind him" James commented.  
"Thank you" Harry grinned.

Ginny peered out of the window and spotted several cars parked up along the pavement.

"Something is happening at the church" she noted dully.

"It's probably a play" Lily shrugged. She had been in one before she had gone to Hogwarts, from the size of the crowd and the amount of cars, she fathomed it would be the year 6 Christmas musical.

Harry had enrolled his children into the local primary school before they went to Hogwarts; he often stated it was better for them to know about Muggle society than not know anything and not have the option to live in either society.

Finally reaching Ron's house, Harry parked up and sat for a moment in silence, as his children ran out to greet their cousins.

Ginny turned to him.

"What?"  
"You'll never tell me will you?"

"No" Ginny unbuckled her seat belt and slipped out of their car.

* * *

Stood on the porch, Hermione was busy greeting Lily and laughing about something, Ginny didn't care to bother herself with.

Ginny then set her jaw when she heard Hermione's girlish laugh.

Ron already had James eloped in a bear hug when she greeted her brother with coolness. Albus and Hugo were comparing height. Rose nose deep in a book.

"You look like a lesbian" Ron let go of James and nudged his sister playfully.

"Nice to see you too Ronald" she huffed and waited for Harry to catch up.

Harry caught up quickly and shook hands with Ron then kissed Hermione on both cheeks.

Ginny and Hermione simply nodded to each other.

Once out of the cold and in the comfort of the sitting room, the catch up was long and somewhat tedious for Ginny.

Sat swilling her wine with in the glass, she kept her ears primed and her eyes low.

"I want to be a detective" Lily muttered to Hermione, who was sat across the room.

"Really?" she tilted her head and answered with hyped up enthusiasm.

"I was watching this TV show with Dad and I really want to do what they do" Lily gushed her words and beamed brightly.

Ginny soon zoned out, there was nothing for her to say or do.

"Who wants to go and play?" Hugo dashed into the sitting room clutching a Quaffle. James and Albus rose their feet quickly, Lily nodded; Rose shrugged and handed her book to Hermione.

"Look after it for me Mum?"

"Sure thing, wrap up Rose" Hermione shouted after her daughter as the four trampled outside.

Ron had opted to live in the small Wizarding town of Padforth or often known to Ron and Harry as Padfoot, this location meant they could freely play Quidditch without breaking the law. This location also meant that Ginny had no means of a quick escape to a pub.

"What's Rose reading?" Harry commented after finishing a long conversation about Quidditch league tables with Ron.

"It's an Astronomy book" Hermione stroked the binding gently and flipped it over. "She loves it at Hogwarts, so I bought it her so she could study at home"

Ron cut through.  
"When's dinner going to be ready love?"

Hermione opened her mouth to snap something but settled just to walk into the kitchen, not only to keep him happy, but avoid Ginny.

The intention to get away from the redhead didn't go entirely to plan.

"Harry's asking again" Ginny grumbled.

"Well don't make it so bloody apparent that you hate my guts" Hermione turned her head to Ginny, but still kept her hands inside the oven mitts.

"You still cook like a Muggle" Ginny leant against the door frame, the sliding door rattled as she pushed off it.

"You _drove_ here" Hermione rolled her eyes and bent down to open the oven. Ginny let her gaze slope down the curve of the brunettes back to settle on her jean clad rear.

"I would rather appreciate it if you didn't ogle me" Hermione emphasised her words by slamming the oven shut with a clang and throwing the oven mitts down on the counter.

Ginny shrugged and went to walk back into the sitting room when Hermione spoke once more.

"You look charming tonight Ginevra" her words were stiff and emotionless.

"Trying to be nice are we?"

"As always" Hermione sneered and watched Ginny leave, she was knowledgeable of the smirk upon the redheads lips.

* * *

As it grew darker, the children or rather teens were called in for the meal. Damp with snow and chilled due to the wind, Hermione was glad she had chosen to start the meal with soup.

"This is wonderful" Ron grinned at his wife.

"Wonderful?" Hermione blew on the steaming liquid, she chuckled, her husband never used the word wonderful.

Harry smirked at the terror that invaded Ron's face.

"I mean, erm, I don't…"  
"Ronald, I'm not saying its bad you think it's wonderful, but you never say wonderful, you've been listening to Rose for too long"

As Harry began to talk, Ginny flicked her eyes up to meet Hermione's. The look burned through layers upon layers of Hermione's skin and made her flush. Ginny licked the spoon slowly with the tip of her tongue and winked.

Hermione furrowed her brow at such a look and Ginny smirked at her annoyance.

"Enjoying the soup Hermione?" Ginny perked up. "You look flushed"  
"It's just warm" Hermione retorted, glaring at her.

"How? Earlier you said it was cold"

"Ha, you must be mistaken, I said _you_ were cold"

Rose and Lily instantly winced at the women's conversation.

"That's rich" Ginny spoke before drinking down another spoonful of soup.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione snapped and Ginny laughed to herself.

"So" Harry clapped his hands together. "Who's looking forward to Christmas?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and Hermione quickly finished her soup.

"I'll go and get the second course"

As Hermione left, Ron mouthed 'shut up' to Ginny.

Ginny shrugged and leant back, her eyes followed Hermione until she was absent from the room.

* * *

As the meal concluded, Rose and Lily left the table with haste.

James stayed to converse with his Dad and Uncle, Albus tried to seem interested but resorted to play chess with Hugo. Ginny sat to listen to her husband and Hermione kept herself to herself in the refuge of the kitchen.

Rose and Lily retreated up stairs.

"They've gotten worse" Rose commented, completely passing her bedroom door much to Lily's surprise.

"What? Where are we going?"

"Mum and Aunt Ginny, they flirt like nobody's business"

"Pardon?!" Lily soon looked dreadful.

"Come _on_ Lil" Rose slipped her hand around the door handle of her parents' room and opened it quietly.

"Flirt? They have husbands"

Rose turned on Lily quickly, silencing her.

"What I'm about to show you Lil is top secret, you can never, ever tell anyone and I mean it" Rose's eyes were dark and looming with what Lily could only guess was underlying betrayal. "Shake on it"

Rose held her hand out in front of her; Lily took it hesitantly, but shook with panicked vigor.

Lily soon felt her heart in her throat as she entered the bedroom at Rose's side. They crept across the cream carpet. Only the street lamp outside shone through the window and illuminated the room with yellow light.

Lily drew a breath and held it as she was motioned to stay put by Rose.

The fifteen year old then crept further into the room, past her parents' double bed and came to a small door by her Mother's side of the bed.

Kneeling down, she opened it with care, so the hinges didn't creak and slid other items out of her way to collect an old shoe box from the very back of the cubby hole.

Arranging all the other boxes back where she witnessed them, Rose set the box down on the bed then closed the door quickly.

Rose then picked up the box, which looked at least twenty years old and motioned to make a hasty exit.

Slipping out of the bedroom, Rose closed the door and with pent up adrenalin, jogged to her room. Lily followed, all the while her mind racing with what could be in the box.

Rose opened the lid and stood back.

In a room crammed with books and posters of Muggle bands, the box didn't look out of place, so could be easily hidden.

Lily peered in; all mystery had drained from it.

"It's just letters and photos" Lily furrowed her brow. Rose sat down on the bed cross legged and patted next to her.

Lily sat as instructed.

"_Just letters and photos she says_, Lil, these are letters from your Mum to my Mum and vice versa, the photos too"

"And?" Lily prodded at one black at white photo.

"This is probably going to ruin you" Rose bit on the inside of her cheek. "Oh well, you said you wanted to be a detective, right?"

"Yeah"

"It's time to detect" Rose wiggled her fingers at Lily and took the letters out first. "These letters start from my Mum's fifth year all the way to her twenty- first birthday"

"Tell me straight Rose" Lily grumbled, suddenly impatient.

"Aunty Ginny and my Mum went out with each other"  
Lily shuffled back.

"You mean like, out, _out_?"

"Yeah" Rose nodded along with the word. She knew it was heavy duty telling a twelve year old such information, but Lily was a person who Rose could trust.

Lily gulped thickly and picked up the stack of old photos. Some were innocent enough; just Hermione and Ginny hugging or sitting next to each other in their Hogwarts robes others in casual wear.

"If you want to keep your innocence I suggest you don't look past the- oh" Rose grimaced as Lily made an inhuman gaging noise and rolled off the bed.

The photo to inflict such a reaction was abandoned on the bed.

"Which one did you see?" Rose picked it up and chuckled darkly. "That's just the tip of the iceberg Lil"

The picture was that of Ginny sat against the headboard of her bed and Hermione sat on her midriff, letting Ginny kiss her stomach, Ginny's hands were tugging on her underwear and Hermione was grinning brightly, a faint blush upon her cheeks. The pair looked youthful, something foreign to their daughters eyes.

"They looked really happy" Rose sighed. Lily popped her head up.

"I bet" she looked disgusted.

"Lil, they were happy together for about, I dunno, seven or so years, then they randomly married Uncle Harry and Dad, something mega happened"

"I'm not asking!" Lily squealed.

"I'm not asking you to, I'm just saying, it's sad that they sort of loathe each other now"

Lily sat back on the bed, but made sure she didn't look at the photos again. Rose pouted and flicked through the photos. Her mind raced to picturing her Mother sat in bed at night flicking through them, remembering it all.

"I wonder if Dad knew" Rose sighed. Her attention was fixed on a picture of her Mum and Ginny kissing after what looked like a Quidditch game.

"I don't want to know" Lily felt curiosity stab at her once her gaze passed over the letters.

"Lil, I want to try and get them back together" Rose smiled fondly down at the pictures.

"Are you crazy?!" Lily shouted her voice higher and stressed. Rose set the photos down.

"I've known about this for months and it's like they were always meant to be together"

"Hello? We wouldn't be alive if they were"

"That's true, but I just think, they are hurting, after all this time, they still love each other"

"Don't say that" Lily grimaced and hugged Rose's pillow to her. "It makes me all, icky"

"Merlin" Rose collected the contents of the shoe box back up and arranged it neatly within. "I'm going to try and get them back together, without your help then"

"No, you're not!" Lily snapped.

"Why?!"

"It'll ruin our families"

"Don't be so selfish!"  
"I'm being rational. Maybe they're not together because they know that too"

Rose sighed and picked the box back up and stroked the lid.

"I just want them to have a chance"

"They _had_ one and blew it"

"How do you know that?" Rose growled.

"I don't"

As soon as Rose went to shout back, a soft knock at the door sounded.

"Shit" Rose hissed and stashed the box under her bed. "Come in" she cleared her throat and made a quick strangling gesture at Lily.

"We're going now hun" Ginny sighed and Lily crawled off the bed, a sheepish look soon played on her face. "What are you two up to?" Ginny smirked, but earned no proper response besides shrugs and grunts.

Rose kicked the box back further under her bed and followed her cousin and aunt from her room and closed the door firmly.

* * *

Lily soon became pale as she saw Hermione.

Sat with a glass of wine, she looked calm, but Lily soon considered the possibility of her being sad on the inside. Ginny kissed Lily on the head and told her to go and collect her coat, Rose was on her tail.

In the hallway, Rose cornered the twelve year old.

"Don't tell a soul, got that?"

"I know, I know Rose"  
"Then don't look so crazed" Rose hissed and fell silent when Albus came into to put his shoes on.

"What are you two talking about?"  
"Mind your own business, fart face" Lily grumbled and Rose smirked.

"Just, don't freak out okay" Rose pulled Lily into a hug and whispered. "Try and find stuff of your Mum's"

Lily agreed and pulled away.

Harry and Ginny soon appeared, with James behind them ruffling Hugo's hair.

"Ready?" Harry picked Lily up, like he used to when she was smaller and quickly regretted it. "You've grown" he wheezed.

Lily laughed and squirmed free.

"Say thank you" Ginny added and glanced over her should to see Hermione still holding her wine, staring at her.

"Thank you Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron" Lily gushed and hugged them both. Albus and James mumbled their thanks too and were soon ushered out of the door by Harry. As the trio climbed into the car, Harry and Ginny hung back.

"It was a really lovely meal Hermione" Harry hugged her and squeezed her shoulders.

"Yeah" Ginny slunk her jacket back on and refrained from hugging the woman. Ron punched his sister on the shoulder, who in turn punched him back.

"Bye you two" Ginny pulled Hugo and Rose into a long hug, her eyes trained on Hermione all the while.

Ron was absent to notice, but Harry noticed it, it was like a juggernaut had just landed on his head.

"Bye" Harry ruffled Hugo's hair and kissed Rose on the cheek.

"See you in a few weeks for Christmas then?" Harry tried not to sound distracted as he spoke to Ron.

"Yeah mate" Ron shook his hand in a hearty clap.

"See you" he waved them both off and the pair walked from the house to their car.

Rose felt her heart drop, like an air bubble in a water cooler as Hermione didn't stick around to wave them off.

Ron closed the door as soon as the Potter's car was out of sight.

"Good night that was" Ron rolled his shoulders and went to sit back on the sofa.

Rose tried to calmly walk back to her room, but as she passed the kitchen she heard for the first time, something that made her physically nauseous.

Rose peered through the gap in the door; her Mother was bent over the sink, shuddering with sobs.

Not once in Rose's life had she heard her Mother cry after one of their meals.

* * *

Lily was silent for the remainder of the journey home, as was Ginny.

Harry sang quietly along to the radio and James talked about his girlfriend and their plans to disinterested Albus.

Once they arrived home, once they were all settled, Harry crept up behind Ginny and wrapped his hands around her hips.

"I love you in that jacket" he mumbled against Ginny's neck, his voice vibrated in deep curses against her skin. Ginny closed her eyes and became ridged.

"Not now Harry"  
The man didn't let go.

"We never do it anymore" Harry kissed her neck, she felt a few uncut hairs on his chin bristle up and down.

_Have a shave and sex change and I'll think about it Potter_

Ginny rolled her eyes and forced herself from his hold.

"Gin?"

"_Do it_? We aren't fucking fifteen are we?" Ginny flopped down on the sofa and heard Harry curse.

"No, we're not, but you were acting like one all night" Harry walked around the sofa to stand in front of her.

Ginny turned her head away from him.

Harry unbuttoned his shirt and paced.

"You were looking at Hermione all night"

"Is this what it's about?!" Ginny sat up straight.

"Why don't you tell me?" Harry stopped pacing to stare at his wife. Ginny rose to her feet and ran a hand through her fiery hair. Then she crashed her lips into Harry's, he tumbled back into the arm chair and Ginny straddled him.

Harry tried to get a word in, even one vowel would be a blessing, but Ginny was already unzipping his trousers, stroking him softly.

"Fuck" he arched his back and Ginny closed her eyes, to get lost in dreams of creamy skin and brunette hair rather than a scar and glasses.

Ginny pulled her trousers down also, along with her underwear and sheathed Harry inside of her quickly; she squirmed in discomfort of their rushed connection. Uncomfortably filled, Ginny began to rock her hips.

No buttons on her blouse had been touched; the swish of rubbing material and grunts broke the silence within the sitting room.

"Gin, maybe I should…"

"I already cast the, _fuck_, I already did it" Ginny rocked her hips back and forth rapidly, holding the arms of the sitting chair. She dropped her head and avoided kissing him, she just let mumbles spill from her parted lips.

Harry held her hips and grunted.

"Gin" he mumbled.

Ginny felt knots tie around her pelvis; the feeling was overwhelming as she thrust harder down on Harry.

"Shit" Ginny gritted her teeth and the image of Hermione under her shocked her enough to let a strangled gasp out. She then rocked her hips softer, so she didn't harm the apparition.

"I love you" Ginny closed her eyes again as she felt them glaze with a sheen of tears.

Then as seconds passed Ginny knew Harry was close, as was she.

"Hermione" Ginny let her voice cry out in a tremor as they came, as Harry's penis twitched inside of her, she soon halted everything.

Her heart stopped.

Harry stilled.

Ginny gawked.

Ginny then wrenched her body from Harry's and pulled up her trousers hurriedly.

Harry set his jaw let his head fall back and his hands clap against his face.

"Fuck" Ginny slipped her shoes back on and snagged her jacket and ran from their house. Slipping her wand out of her jacket pocket, she quickly aparated to the one place she knew she would be safe from the world.

* * *

Ginny landed in the Burrow living room shortly after she cast the spell. Unsteady on her feet she crashed into the Christmas tree, baubles tumbled across the wooden floor and smashed.

"Mum" she gasped as Molly popped her head around the kitchen wall.

"Ginny?" Molly dried her hands on her apron and hobbled to her daughter. "What's happened?"

Ginny fell into her Mother's arms with the grace of a baby foal.

"I don't know" Ginny sobbed into her Mother's chest as leant to elope the woman in a strong hug. "I don't want to do this anymore" Ginny cried. "I don't want do this"

"Shhh" Molly cradled her daughter and looked up to see Arthur across the room, with the same look of worry.

"Set up her room would you Arthur?" Molly whispered and he traipsed back up stairs.

"It's going to be okay, Ginny, I promise" Molly sat Ginny down and let her daughter lay down and rest her head upon her lap.

"I don't want to do be this" Ginny sobbed. "I don't want to be anything"

* * *

"Mione" Ron threw the letter down onto the kitchen table. Harry had waited until half eight that morning to send the owl.

As a matter of fact, it turned out it had been a bad night for them all.

For Hermione it had been full of dragged out minuets and scarce hours of sleep. Ron had been up all night tending to Hugo who had been plagued with nightmares.

The couple had talked in whispers within the dark.

Stood in their kitchen watching the sun burst from behind fluffy snow clouds, Hermione picked up the letter with itchy skin.

Groggy from their bad night and irritated due to the aroma of coffee laced with burning toast, Hermione had almost no will power to even read it.

Scanning the scrawl of Harry's hand writing, her face paled.

Hermione listened to Ron breathing like a tired horse while she re-read it.

"Ginny left" Hermione touched the woman's name upon the paper and rose to her feet.

"She left her family"

"No, no, no" Hermione uttered the worlds under her breath. "She didn't just up and leave; Harry's not telling us the full story"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"_Lots_ of reasons Ron" Hermione had already shrugged off her dressing gown.

"Where are _you_ going?" Ron twirled around and took a bite from his burnt toast with a loud crunch.

"To Harry!"

"Ou, camph, jus go…" he spat through a mouthful.

"Oh, I can and I am" Hermione was already on her way up the stairs.

Jogging past Rose's room, she decided it was time to wake her daughter up, Hugo was sleeping off his nightmares, but there was no need for Rose to still be in bed.

Hermione twisted the handle to Rose's room and entered.

"Rosie it's time to…" Hermione stopped her words abruptly. Rose was sat on her bed, the shoe box in front of her.

Hermione went ridged.

Rose winced and pushed it away from her.

Hermione bowed her head and closed the door behind her with a deep click.

With an almost grief stricken demeanour, Hermione slunk over to sit on her daughter's bed. The frame creaked with the added weight.

"Why are you going through my things?" Hermione's voice was void of emotion, much like the voice a person would hear over a train station speaker.

"I was actually looking for books and it looked more interesting" Rose let her words spill over her lips without really registering any of them, the teen was too busy thinking of how long she would be grounded.

"How much have you seen?" Hermione peered down at the shoe box then at Rose.

"Everything" Rose didn't look as panicked as Hermione had expected, she looked calm, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Hermione pressed her lips into a tight line and nodded woodenly.

Rose lowered her gaze to her lap then took shy glances at the few pictures she had out on the bed.

"I've never see you look so happy" she shyly admitted.

Hermione let a sad laugh escape her.

"How long have you had this?"

"A few months"

"And you haven't told anyone?"

Rose shook her head, the lie then sprang up and down in her stomach like a jack-in-a-box.

"I want to know about you and Aunt Ginny."

Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek, suddenly too tired to really care what was going on, Rose would have found out anyway.

"Mum?"

"I called it off" Hermione picked up one of the photos. "And that is all you need to know, it was a mistake, now I would appreciate if you put it all back and give it to me when I come back from visiting your Uncle Harry" the pit of Hermione's stomach swarmed with liquid tension and fear, it swilled around at a nauseating pace.

Rose dropped her gaze.

"Alright"

* * *

**More?**


	2. Hiding Out

**I edited this in places, not too much to really alter anything.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Ginny could tell when her Mother was on edge.

It often involved random conversation and the constant clatter of household items.

At that moment, sat in the kitchen of the Burrow, slipping her spoon in and out of her cereal, Ginny checked off all the pointers to her Mother's distress.

The aged woman had her back turned to her daughter and was hurriedly cleaning plates twice over.

"James is doing well isn't he? He looks more like you, you know, he's getting-hmm" Molly had to shout slightly over the noise of running water and the constant shift of cutlery. Her voice was artificial with cheer.

Molly helplessly tried to cover up her intended questions, but Ginny had already guessed what she wanted to say.

"I'm _not_ leaving Harry Mum" Ginny sighed and pushed the half eaten bowl of coco-puffs away from her.

Molly's shoulders slumped.

"I know that tone Ginny"

"What tone?" Ginny's voice rose an octave.

"That!" Molly turned, whirling a dish cloth with lethal vigour. "That tone, you are lying to me young lady!"

"_Young_ lady?!" Ginny scoffed.

"A Mother's habit" Molly shook her head, her greying hair was still streaked with ginger and fierce upon her head.

"I'm not leaving the boys and Lily" Ginny continued and peered at the golden band around her finger.

"Is there someone else love?" Molly slid in the chair next to Ginny, the legs screeched against the tile. Ginny ducked her head.

"Not anyone new" she said numbly. "I'm not cheating on Harry Mum" Ginny couldn't let the next few thought sentences be told, information about such acts she had carried out with her husband would tip the scales of the conversation. Upon seeing her daughter struggle she just nodded slowly.

"Love?" Molly mumbled.

"I said something I shouldn't have" Ginny picked at her nails while she spoke, her eyes gravitated to their shoddy appearance.

"What did you say?" Molly's eyes widened and her brain soon scrolled through a back catalogue of profanities that could have caused her daughter to come running.

Ginny inhaled and felt the words drip from her lips with ease, like liquid mercury.

Arthur was busy cleaning out the fireplace when he heard his wife shout from the kitchen.

The sound shocked him to the extent of emptying the ashes in a poof all over his face and torso.

"Well, at least she's not pregnant again" he muttered to himself and shuffled across the room, leaving a trail of black ash behind him while the conversation roared.

Molly had risen from her seat and flung her arms around her replicating a windmill of a sort.

"You're making it sound like I've slept with her!" Ginny shouted over Molly's ramblings.

"You might as well have done!"

"Cheers Mum" Ginny rolled her eyes and returned to eating the coco-puffs in large mouthfuls, just so she didn't have to respond.

"You've been in love with her for this long?" Molly squealed. Ginny gulped the clump of cereal down.

Ginny remained in a stubborn silence.

Molly had settled into a quick pace, her slippers slapped loudly on the tile of the floor, breaking their silence. "You've had three children with Harry and now you say you don't love him!"

"I do love him Mum, just, just not physically"

"Merlin's bollocks" Molly rasped. Ginny's jaw dropped.

Arthur walked back into the living room, only to hear the profanity bounce around the house. Wide eyed, he stilled.

"Gardening, gardening is good" he made a hasty escape to the garden.

Ginny rose from her seat.

"I said I'm not leaving him"

Molly wrung her hands.

"You just say you are sorry about it"

"So what? I say I'm sorry about screaming Hermione's name and refuse to have sex with him ever again?"

Molly paled and grimaced, hearing that from her daughter was a shock to the system.

Ginny ran a hand through her hair.

"What about the boys? What about Lily? What do I tell them? Oh yeah, hi kids, just letting you know I actually love sleeping with women, but I still love your father?"

"Now you are being drastic and dramatic Ginny" Molly tapped her foot and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

Both women stood in silence for while, until Molly shook her head.

"Do you want a cup of tea?"

The air of irritability lifted somewhat at the mere suggestion of tea. Ginny found it oddly reassuring.

"Sure"

* * *

Hermione landed on Harry's doorstep, clad in a grey jumper, black jeans and a large parka.

Clothing to protect her from the weather and comfort her.

Hermione knocked on the door, barley through the third knock, the door crashed open and Harry stumbled in front of her.

"You look-_hung over_" Hermione said reproachfully and she brushed the bottoms of her shoes on the 'welcome' door mat and closed the door behind her.

The house was bustling with the morning routine, except Ginny was absent.

Harry hadn't changed out of last night's clothes and he stunk of fire whisky mixed with what Hermione could distinguish as cum.

Hermione made a note not to mention his aroma.

Lily cut past Harry saying a quick sorry and ran at Albus to snatch her shoe off him.

"You drank it off I take" Hermione sat down on the sofa and Harry grumbled something about the mess then sunk down on the other end of the sofa, his hand clutched to his forehead.

A headache throbbed in his skull.

"Dad!" Lily called her voice carried with a urgent tremor, but he just ignored her and stared ahead of him.

"Have you told them Ginny has gone?" Hermione quizzed and Harry nodded.

"I told them she was getting a few things from Molly's"

"What happened?" Hermione urged the conversation on. She had fathomed that the pair had, had sex and it wasn't just the mulberry coloured bite mark just above Harry's collar that gave it away.

"Ginny screamed out your name" Harry said, deflated.

"What?" Hermione's stomach lurched and her brain seemed to press to the front of her skull.

"When we had sex last night, she screamed out _your_ name" Harry dropped his head into his hands. Hermione looked around them, worried that such a blatant statement would trouble Lily or Albus. James was still up stairs, she knew this from the lack of swearing.

Harry had dark purple rings under his eyes and dark stubble upon his chin.

"Are you planning on seeing her?" he yawned through his words and rubbed his jaw.

"Don't you think you should?" Hermione muttered and glanced back over her shoulder just to check there were no prying ears or eyes.

"She ran from me"

"So run to her" Hermione soon wanted to reel her words back in, she sounded too dramatic, she reminded herself too much of a teen romance novel. "I mean, this is between you two, not me"

"You're in this Hermione, whether you like it or not" Harry sat up straighter than before and stared at his best friend. It was apparent that Hermione did not like being part of it all, she was staring at him with acute displeasure

Harry let the next sentence slide from his lips."What went on between you two?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows and licked her lips before saying.

"Nothing"

"All those years you two were inseparable, then you two just stopped talking" Harry growled his words. "What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing happened, we grew up, we both got families, that's all" Hermione drew her words out carefully.

"Then why the hell did she call your name?"

"I have no idea, I have no bloody idea Harry" Hermione stood up suddenly, she pulled her wand from her coat's inside pocket.

"What are you doing Hermione?" Harry felt a spring in his joints, so bounced to his feet.

"Getting Ginny" she snapped and quickly disapperated with a loud crack before the man could stop her.

* * *

A spiteful wind had picked up by the time Hermione arrived at the Burrow.

Hermione spotted Arthur in the garden, knelt near a rose bush arguing with it.

Hugging her parka closer to her, she soon regretted arriving as Molly ran out or rather hobbled out to usher her inside.

In a flurry of hands and rushed words, Hermione was stood in the Burrow.

The scent of freshly baked bread proved to be a distraction, so did the bottle of wine sat on the coffee table, uncorked and half drunk. Hermione couldn't get a word in, for Molly cut across her quickly.

"Ginny needs to speak with you" was the only hello Hermione received.

"So Ginny is here then?"

"Yes, yes she is dear"

Hermione was striped of her coat before she could even counteract Molly Weasley.

"Ginny! You have a visitor!" Molly called up the stairs. Hermione suppressed a grin, she was reminiscent of the summers she used to spend huddled in the Burrow with Ginny's many siblings. Hermione fondly remembered the days when she would arrive unexpectedly and give Ginny tiny heart attacks.

"Hermione?" Ginny called from the top of the stairs, Hermione walked numbly to the foot of the stairs and Molly stood beside her as if she were a trophy.

Ginny walked down the stairs and stood on the step just before the level floor, making her inches taller than the brunette.

"Mum, could I have a word with Hermione, erm, alone in the kitchen?" Ginny's face was rich with a look of ire, Hermione tired to avoid looking too relieved to see her.

"Yes, yes" Molly parted ways with the two women, she walked up stairs, as Ginny stood out of her way.

"Harry sent you?" Ginny walked ahead, she didn't care to cast a look back to see if Hermione was following.

"I sent myself" Hermione spoke sternly, her vocal chords were rough, only then did Ginny turn.

"How considerate" Ginny snapped.

"Ginny, stop it, just stop it" the brunettes motherly tone was well used and didn't fail to make Ginny cringe away from it, but listen non the less. "Harry told me what happened last night"

Ginny's face was soon ablaze with a crimson blush, it caressed her skin like a bruise.

Hermione felt a smug smile creep onto her lips, silencing the redhead was one of the few pleasures she had.

"You still have feelings for me then?" Hermione leant back on the counter. Her hands pinched the edge and she arched her back out, to flush her chest.

With intention or without, she was unsure.

"Don't flatter yourself" Ginny snapped and attempted to preoccupy herself with the stove. Hermione narrowed her eyes and crept over, the soles of her shoes padded along the floor, detected by Ginny, but ignored.

As Ginny fiddled with extra dials and buttons she had never seen in her life, her hands shook and sweat glazed her palms.

Hermione slunk her arms around Ginny's midriff and dragged her backwards.

Crushing Ginny's back to arch into Hermione's front, the brunette smirked as she was rewarded with a shocked yelp.

The redhead was then attacked by a feeling, similar to a curse rippling through her body.

Ginny turned her head to verbally assault the brunette when Hermione planted a soft kiss on her lips.

Ginny's limbs liquidized and she kissed back with a quiet, throaty mewl.

Their noses brushed, their skin caressed by motherhood and age.

The redhead's brow knitted in estranged concentration her lips were captured.

With a parting peck, Hermione stepped away and watched Ginny's expression carefully.

"Do you still have feelings for me?" Hermione questioned with a softer tone and waited patiently.

Ginny shook her head clumsily, her hair swished over her face and her cheeks flushed. Hermione felt as if she were talking to a three year old about stolen cookies. Ginny's bottom lip began to quiver slightly and her eyes soon grew moist and large.

Emotions ran over her as if she was being submerged in icy water, in hope to overcome them, she looked to the ceiling.

"I don't, I don't know" Ginny whispered, her throat dry and her breath came in slow, almost pained gasps.

Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek and dropped her gaze.

She soon had no idea what her motive was to kiss Ginny, it was more than a simple urge, but

Hermione was far from sorry.

Hermione was far from anything.

"Don't you think you should get back to Harry?" the brunette cleared her throat and avoided looking at Ginny. Harry's name grated her throat and made her tense with anger.

The kitchen soon seemed like a barren land, with only two women to scarcely fill it. Like ghosts they stood, silent and both wavering figures, peered upon through stubborn tears.

Between Ginny's heart and lungs she was acutely aware of a gap.

She needed something to fill it, a need similar to food, similar to water.

Suddenly, Hermione soon became the one and only to fill that hole inside her chest.

Suddenly, Ginny lips were the only ones Hermione wanted to kiss again. Possessive and slightly vexed, Hermione remained silent in waiting.

Ginny walked her fingers to her pocket and plucked her wand from inside. With a swift swish, she was gone in a ripple of a grey warp.

* * *

Harry was surprised to see his wife pass under his bedroom window.

Approaching the front door, Harry never thought he'd consider his own wife a stranger to their stoop.

The man rose from the bed and launched himself down stairs.

He had no idea what to say or think as he skidded into the hallway, just in time to witness Ginny opening the door carefully.

Bloodshot eyes met cold ones.

Harry fabricated his own version of the night to patch up his wife's threadbare morals.

"You're back" Harry spoke.

Ginny closed the door and nodded, already in a bee line to the living room, then to the stairs.

"You're not even going to explain?" Harry followed her, Albus and Lily turned to them, no longer concerned by their game of cards.

"I don't need to" Ginny hung at the stairs for a moment before trudging up to their room.

"You do" Harry pursued her.

Nightmarish fantasises swirled in Harry's head as he followed his wife to their bedroom.

After years of marriage, she was simply going to walk out on him after a slip of the tongue or was she already having an affair with her brothers wife.

"Gin, talk to me" Harry slid into the room before Ginny could shut the door on him. Exhausted, Ginny lay down on the bed and curled up into a ball.

Harry stood over her and watched in silence as his wife began to let tears streak down her face.

He was at loss of what to say. No words formed in his mind to leak from his dry lips.

Ginny felt the mattress dip and Harry's arms slunk around her, his body moulded around hers clumsily.

She closed her eyes and pressed her face against the sheets, letting half of her face soak in the warmth.

After minuets of silence, Ginny calmed down. All her tears had crusted into the duvet and Harry was breathing into the shell of her ear.

As irritating as it was, Ginny was too spent to pull away.

"Harry..." Ginny mumbled into the bed. The kiss she and Hermione had shared was racing through her mind, this scene provoked the sentence _I don't want to sleep with you again._

Whereas the fact that she and her husband had three children clogged up her mouth with a sob.

She wasn't ready to leave her children nor where children ready for her departure.

"Yes love?"

Ginny waited a few more seconds, each of them dragging out with the weight of her options. The burden weighed her down like an anchor.

"I never meant to run. I panicked. I'm sorry" she forced the words out, as if the truth made her drunk to spill lies.

"Can you tell me one thing?" Harry rubbed his hand up and down her arm. When he gained no response, he continued . "Do you love me?"

Ginny felt the knife stab and twist in her chest.

"Yes" she was crippled, as she thought back to the boy Harry had once been. No parents, a teen with the burden of the world.

Harry craved love and Ginny was ill to deny him it.

"I love you" Ginny closed her eyes once more and let fresh tears slide down her cheeks. She felt Harry's lips press to her neck, words replaced a kiss.

"Do you love her?"

Ginny let out a whimper as his arms tightened around her, he was physically tearing the answer from her body.

No answer came.

No answer was needed.

Harry uncoiled his body from his wife's and he lay by her, not touching her, he was soon restless with a prickly distaste.

"I'm going to go for a walk, will you be here when I get back?" his tone was patronising.

"Maybe" Ginny let the tone wash over her like a rash. It rose bumps on her skin and it sparked a fight reaction. "Or I might be between some woman's legs"

Harry gritted his teeth and set his jaw, but didn't retaliate.

"The kids are in just remember that"

* * *

Harry cooked that night.

Ginny didn't make the effort to even emerge from her room.

As Harry chopped up half an onion to mix in with the tomatoes that was bubbling in the pan, he tried to secure as many words as he could and fit them into a sentence.

After a row, there always had to be some form of truce.

Harry had tried to gain some common ground before being forced to make dinner.

He'd crept into their room and had only just stood in the doorway when he heard Ginny croak a string of 'leave me alone' and 'you cook, I'm not hungry'.

Harry was making Spaghetti Bolognese, the only meal he had been able to successfully cook

with his scarce knowledge of any other recipe.

Lily was setting the table as Harry finished off the meal by summoning a few herbs to throw onto the bubbling sauce.

Sending the plates to the table, Harry walked slowly after the hovering meals.

As they clanked down onto the table, James took his place next to Lily.

Albus joined them, with torrents of questions about their absent mother floating around in his mind.

Harry tucked into the food with distaste towards his own culinary skills.

They ate in silence for several minuets into the meal.

Rigid with concern, Lily kept her eyes down to her plate and eyed the food.

"Is Mum ill or something?" Albus spoke before stuffing a clump of gooey pasta into his mouth.

"She's tired" Harry mumbled. James shot a wary glance to his father then his brother.

Lily preoccupied herself by eating, anything to avoid the conversation.

"Mum's never tired" Albus challenged. Harry was quick to damn his genetics and how his own curiosity had been replicated into Albus.

James rolled his eyes and took the situation.

"She's allowed to be"

"But-"

"Don't you ever stop?" James barked at his younger brother. Albus silenced, his face reddened with irritation.

"I was just asking" Albus turned to Harry and eyed the man suspiciously. Harry pressed his mouth into a hard line.

"Yes, well-" Harry dropped his head for a moment, his whole body tense and bulky. "Don't"

* * *

Curled up in Ron's favourite arm chair by the fire, Hermione tucked herself away and inside the pages of a book.

As the fire crackled and popped to her right, the mixed sounds of Hugo and Ron's game of chess played on her left.

The room was dim with a warm orange glow. It was cast over the hardwood floor and the timber beams on the roof, often flickering.

Hermione's eyes poured over different symbols within the text and constructed the scenarios and varying concepts they conveyed to her.

With each ink letter, another phrase bore into her.

Hermione began to cry.

Horrified and embarrassed by the lack of control, she hurriedly dabbed her moistened cheeks with her sleeve.

Hermione then bowed her flushed face further behind her book.

Her tears were persistent.

Words span around her skull taunting her, coaxing some disfigured emotion from her body.

There was a hard clump of sound trapped in her throat, she was careful to avoid letting it out and appear like she was slowly dying, much like a beached whale.

Ron's chair scrapped back. Hermione tensed.

She hoped to Merlin he was walking from the room, but when a heavy hand dropped on her shoulder and Ron's face became level with her own, Hermione knew she'd lost.

With soft, concerned eyes Ron looked at his wife's tear stained cheeks.

Hermione blinked away the tears, neither of them spoke a word.

If only their relationship could distil into simple gestures, without speech or any sound, Hermione knew it would fair her well.

Ron softly cupped the side of her face. Hermione flinched from the sudden contact.

"What's up love?" Ron mumbled. Hermione fixed her gaze on her lap to avoid any more tears spilling.

Hermione gave no answer, but tried to create a suggestion of her problem though subtle changes in her posture and expression.

But she hardly thought contorting facial muscles would convey 'Ronald I'm still in love with your sister'.

Ron appeared to understand that his wife needed some time alone when Hermione finally closed her eyes and shifted further back into the arm chair.

He huffed and went back to the chess game without a single word questioning or hinting to Hermione's distress.


	3. In the gut, in the mind, in the heart

**Enjoy.**

Christmas crept up on the Weasley's, so much so that Christmas Eve was still hectic with the sound of Mrs Weasley demanding more parts of the house to be decorated.

Outside the sun set at a rapid pace, forcing Arthur to run around blindly in the snow catching Gnomes that took advantage of the dark and nibbled at his ankles.

Inside, the chatter of various family members roared, each relative fighting over one another to get a word in.

Wreaths of holly sprang up on the walls with small pops and tinsel wound it's way around every available chair leg. It had been at George's doing that Percy had been a victim of a tinsel bind more than once over the course of the evening.

The heavy scent of spice and nutmeg hung in the air, twirling from the kitchen as the bustle of family hummed throughout the Burrow.

Red faced and bright eyed, Molly hobbled around her now cramped home in search of Ginny, of whom she had greeted half an hour prior, but had not been able to keep track of. To manoeuvre through the bustle of her family, thick with their winter attire was a skill well tested.

"Feet off the table!" Molly slapped James over the head with a newspaper as she passed, knocking his Christmas hat to the floor. His chair wobbled backwards and regained his balance by lunging to grab the table. Albus and Hugo, along with Louis laughed at his misfortune, only to be a victim of verbal abuse seconds later.

After haranguing more of her grandchildren, Molly took the search into the kitchen, fathoming her daughter would be more involved with the food than any of the others.

Huddled by the kitchen sink, Ginny stood peeling sprouts rather angrily.

"Ginny dear, there you are" Molly's voice cut through Fleur's French mutterings, the string of curses had acted like whale music to calm the agitated redhead.

Ginny dropped the knife she had been using into the basin with a clatter and forced a smile.

"Hello Mum"

"I've set you and Harry up in your old room, Lily will be sleeping with Rose and- you could have peeled the sprouts with magic" Molly jutted her hand at the ever growing pile of green vegetables.

"Harry got me into the habit" Ginny admitted sourly and turned back, this time with her wand clutched in her hand.

"Speaking of that..." Molly's voice lowered, even thought Fleur was to busy muttering to herself about the lack of space to even care what the pair said. "How are you and Harry?"

"Not better" Ginny sighed and flicked a spout around in the air to distract herself from discussing the topic head on.

"Have you told him?"

"No"

"Don't you think it-"

"It's Christmas Mum" Ginny let the sprout drop back down to the pile with a soft plop. "I don't want to ruin things more than I have done"

"Ruin things you've not-" Molly was cut off by Rose skidding into the kitchen, with Lily and Dominique on her tail.

"Ruin what?" Lily asked innocently snagging a biscuit from the tray. Rose's ears pricked up and Dominique tried to brush her ever growing hair from her eyes.

"Nothing" Ginny shrugged and eyed the sprouts. "Could you girls finish these off for me?"

"But Mum" Lily huffed and looked back at her cousins, they didn't seem to bother.

"It'll give us something to do" Rose shrugged and eyed Ginny then the figure in the doorway. Hermione walked through, burdened with a large box of decorations.

"I need some help putting these up" Hermione avoided being hit with a rain of floating tinsel. Molly elbowed Ginny in the side.

"Ginny'll help, she has nothing to do since she gave the girls the rest of her job"

Hermione paled.

"I'm sure she wouldn't want to"

"_I'm_ sure _I_ wouldn't want to" Ginny growled at Molly, but the older woman just ushered her daughter at Hermione.

"Be nice" Molly quipped and sent them up to the second floor to decorate.

"I'm always nice" Ginny rolled her eyes and wound her way through running children and floating candy canes.

* * *

The noise from downstairs floated up to them in a dull blur. Ginny was sure she could her record of the Weird Sisters being played on the wireless.

Hermione made short work of organising the box. Ginny hung back, watching her from the banister, mostly to listen to Do the Hippogriff.

Hermione was crouched, her knees bent outwards like a frogs, Ginny let her eyes fix upon the pert globes of the brunette's rear.

Standing back up and letting her jumper sink back over the patch of skin that had been so gloriously shown, Ginny cursed the blush that flushed her cheeks.

"I won't bite" Hermione turned her attention to the redhead after flicking a streamer in her direction.

The golden slither of paper fell by Ginny's feet and was ignored.

Ginny ducked her face to the floor.

Hermione quickly sent a few candles to float near the ceiling, they were jinxed to move over anyone who walked under them.

"It's not as showy as Hogwarts" Ginny spoke woodenly, finally letting her gaze trail upwards again.

"Do you _want_ it to be showy?" Hermione challenged, she whipped her wand down from the air and stared at the redhead.

"No"

"Then don't knock it" Hermione glared and sent reams of red and gold tinsel to boarder the walls.

"Don't _you_ want it to be showy" Ginny's flat expression soon crumbled as her lips twitched into a smirk.

"I want it to look presentable" Hermione bristled and turned fully to the other witch. "What is your point Ginevra?" it only riled Hermione more to know Ginny was having fun taunting her.

"Nothing, I'm just asking"

"Don't" Hermione jutted a finger at her and went back to casting various other charms to create a large cloud of snow on the ceiling that would fall down when ever someone passed under it. Hermione loved interactive decorations, they were good for catching anyone out of bed.

Ginny tapped her foot to the music downstairs.

"Aren't you going to let me do anything?" Ginny smirked.

"No" Hermione grunted and strode up to her, her index finger pointed directly at her like a weapon. It landed with a jab into Ginny's chest. Every word Hermione uttered was punctuated by another jab. "Stop annoying me. You're being childish. Little boys do this to girls they like, what are you going to do next? Pull on my hair and call me names?"

Ginny was pressed up against the wall by the last jab and knew a bruise would form on her chest soon.

"Don't tempt me" Ginny spoke back with the slightest hint of a growl. Hermione's face flushed, as did Ginny's.

The sudden closeness of the pair sent a jolt of aching electricity to Hermione's heart.

"If you dare I'll-" Hermione stopped abruptly as she felt Ginny's hands slope around her waist and pull her in tighter.

"Dare what?" Ginny's eyes flashed with mischief, a thing Hermione hadn't seen in years. Hermione went rigid. Suddenly, all she could think about was kissing Ginny to shut her up. Hermione pressed her forehead against Ginny's, soon exhausted with the prospect of being so close her, but not deterred. Their noses brushed slowly and Ginny's breath caught.

Hermione screwed up Ginny's jumper with white knuckles and held her roughly to her.

Hermione felt currents of warm air between their lips as they neared.

Ginny twitched when a shiver ran around her whole body, she let out a tiny gasp.

Hermione's expression was taut.

"What are we doing?" she whispered, Ginny let out an airy laugh that shocked them both.

"I have no idea any more" Ginny gasped.

"Someone could come up stairs" Hermione hissed and dug her face into the crook of Ginny's neck.

Ginny didn't care, Hermione was with her, as cliché as it was, she felt as if the world was hers with Hermione near her.

"Then you better get off me" Ginny said, her words laced with irritation. Hermione did so quickly.

"Get those baubles and let them float at the top of the stairs" Hermione didn't look back at Ginny, not again until later that night.

* * *

Most of the children had gone to bed by the time the first Christmas broadcast was aired at midnight.

Rose had refused to sleep, saying she had to finish a book before she could even think of sleeping. This excuse gave her enough time to witness her Mother begin to talk about Muggle theories that she had been forced to review. Hermione had landed herself the small task of monitoring Muggle activity in the 21st century, concerning the advance of science and how to keep it away from magic. It was apparently a 'short' job, it had kept her occupied over the past several months.

Charlie was intently listening to Hermione, quite interested in what she had to say, as was Arthur.

At first it had been a comfortable side discussion, Ginny had loved the way Hermione's eyes light up when Arthur praised her points and asked various questions.

"Omega Point" Hermione punctuated the name with another sip of her wine.

"The what?" Percy scoffed with a roll of his eyes. His interruption tore the rest of the room to listen in on Hermione's conversation.

"The Omega Point theory. It states everyone who ever lived-every possible human who ever lived will be resurrected at the end of time. Death is similar to sleep" Hermione answered with ease despite all the eyes on her.

"Muggles came up with it?"

"Yes, well Frank Tipler, he states when Muggles will be resurrected when the power to do so in created. If they got hold of magic, this would consequently lead them to believe it would be possible"

Percy let out a snort and Ron winced at his wife's passion towards a somewhat absurd subject. Molly and Arthur just nodded, whereas Ginny found herself truly enthralled with the idea, as did Harry.

"You mean like the resurrection stone? But.. a bigger version?" Harry gushed.

"Kind of" Hermione nodded, nearly having to shout over the rumble of chatter that was produced as the aftermath of her talk.

"It's a load of rubbish" Percy snapped. "Muggle 'science' is a load of bollocks"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the man.

"It's actually influenced parts of the Wizarding world, it further more shows, we could learn from them, but not so much them from us"

Arthur winced at Hermione's naive statement.

A tense silence fell soon after.

"Love-" Ron tapped his fingers on his lap. "You should know that our society and Muggle doesn't really-"  
Rose ducked her head further into her book, she soon wished she had gone to bed or better yet, hid under a rock.

"I'm _perfectly_ aware" Hermione shot a glare at Percy and his wife Audrey who had laughed at her. Audrey's laugh was nasally and squeaky, it was a sound that turned heads. Ginny broke a smile, no matter how awkward it was between herself and Hermione, she knew she would still back her up.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed" Hermione set her wine down and rose to her feet.

"Rose, bed" she spoke sharply after catching her daughter staring at her.

"Mum!" Rose cringed as the room turned to her, almost in shock of her very existence. Rose could compare herself to dust caught in a beam of sun light.

"Say night" Hermione forced a smile.

Rose huffed and got up to do as she was told. Sourly, she said good night to her drunken relatives and quickly dashed upstairs. Ginny coughed and rose to her feet, Hermione cast her a wondering look.

"I think you have a point-" for a few brief seconds, the atmosphere sobered. Percy was ready to snap at his sister for backing Hermione up, his lips curled in preparation. "Bed does seem like a good idea" Ginny smiled wickedly at her brother, of whom had nearly slid of his seat when she spoke again.

Ginny let Hermione lead the way, when the witch passed, Ginny slid her hand onto her lower back and rubbed in soothing circles. Hermione tensed, but let it happen.

"Percy, not everyone has their heads as far up their arse as you, just let it go" Ginny quipped and winked at him before disappearing upstairs.

On the tenth step, Hermione turned sharply to Ginny.

"What was that?!" she hissed and leered over the redhead. Hermione's face was pink and her hands were balled into fists.

"Support" Ginny muttered and pushed past her, shoulder barging her. "But _apparently_ you didn't _need_ help, you _don't_ need-"

Hermione grabbed her arm tightly and turned Ginny to face her.

"Thank you" she whispered, her tone cut through Ginny's bitterness in a heartbeat.

Their eyes grazed and Hermione's thumb rubbed up and down on Ginny's bicep.

"It's okay, you know-" Ginny sighed heavily and let her words roll from her tongue. "You know I'm here for you, I always will be 'Mione"

Hermione felt tears prick the side of her eyes, she hadn't heard Ginny say Mione in years.

Then, even though Ginny was sure they were only supposed to say goodnight by hugging or just a simple wave, the pair of them ended up kissing.

It was deep, what teenagers would call 'proper'. Hands roamed as did lips. Pressed up against the banister, Hermione wound her fingers into Ginny's hair as they pecked once more before panting.

Hermione was sure she hadn't had such a kiss in at least seven years.

It felt that an affair was inevitable as she was dragged into Ginny's old room and the door was securely locked.

* * *

The ritual of undressing had been quick and painless, it seemed as if their clothes had just melted off as more kisses became touches and touches became hungry gropes.

The bed sheets crumpled under them, they were crisp and made a 'poof' noise whenever new weight was applied to a fresh part of the bed.

Ginny's hands trailed up the soft, creamy curves of Hermione's thighs, to let her palm linger upon the damp patch on her lovers underwear.

Ginny's nerves sparked and her brain cells parted ways with her sense.

Hermione arched her head back, followed by a soft mewl, with an expression similar to the response from a dull pain. Ginny rubbed her, slowly, letting two fingers drag along her folds, now apparent and sopping.

Hermione gulped down hard, her breathing almost solid. Her slender fingers curled into Ginny's hair.

Ginny found herself in owe of the supple arch of Hermione's back and the shadowy buds of her breasts as they rose and fell with every sharp intake of breath.

Ginny nipped at the skin along the woman's pubis bone, making Hermione writhe and flex her hands in agitation.

"Get on with it" Hermione hissed, her voice raspy and short. Ginny continued to nip, all the while comparing her skin to that of sieved flour. Hermione opened her legs further and let out another mewl.

"Oh Merlin" she panted and as if on queue, Ginny slipped her fingers past her knickers and submerged her digits in soft, gooey wetness.

"I've missed this" Ginny purred and drew her body up so she could kiss Hermione. As their lips crushed together, Ginny began to pump her fingers in and out of the brunette.

Hermione jutted her pelvis up to the sensation.

"Hmmm" the brunette strained as a moan tried to claw from her throat, the pressure building was already unbearable. Every fabric of her being needed to be around Ginny and her body craved to convey the need through urges to moan loudly. Hermione's nails scratched up and down Ginny's back. At first it didn't harm the redhead, but as the pace quickened and they both rocked, covered in a thin layer of sweat, the salt glazed the open wounds.

Ginny hissed but watched in dizzy amazement as the tendons in Hermione's neck fluxed outward as her back arched and she tensed. As Hermione shook, Ginny bowed her head, panting with a grin fixed upon her dry lips.

Hermione's limbs became flaccid, her breathing deepened and slowed.

Ginny could feel the sticky result of Hermione's orgasm on her fingers as she withdrew them. Hermione sucked air through her mouth and blew it out through her nose, then yelped as she felt Ginny's mouth down on her.

"What are you doing?" Hermione slurred. Ginny chuckled and lapped up the rest of Hermione's orgasm.

Salty and somewhat tasteless after the tang of it reached her taste buds, it still remained enjoyable. Hermione considered it almost painful to receive pleasure again so recent after her first climax, but Ginny was done within seconds and peered up at her from between her legs.

"Hi" Ginny spoke huskily.

Hermione giggled ran a hand through Ginny's hair.

"Hello"

* * *

As Christmasy as candlelight seemed, Rose soon found out it was torture to read from for prolonged amounts of time in.

Whilst reading a letter entitled _Gin experienced the phantom steering wheel phenomena _with a photo of her Aunt looking particularly perplexed in the passenger seat of a car, Rose rubbed her eyes for the fourteenth time in five minuets.

Rose pressed on to read one of her favourite accounts for Hermione and Ginny's time together.

_I'm glad Ginny cared enough about me to ask if I brought a jacket. _

_It could have be caring or it could have just be urged on by the fact that she was panicking about me driving._

_(It's still as cold as it was yesterday)_

_Yesterday this all happened, it was (still is) snowing. Ginny has never shown particular fear in front of me before, but she kept shouting at me at every red light. The most frequent questions were:_

_Have you even driven a car before?_

_Have you ever driven in snow? _

_Why did you decide to let me sit in the front? _

_Can we get food now?_

_It was amusing but I hated to see her unsettled (we never did get to Tesco). Instead, I drove us both out of London (from my parents house) down the motorway (Ginny was thrilled to see less snow) and I drove her to the beach. (It look us half a day). _

_We spent the other half of the day on a soggy beach, just to let Ginny calm down. I took several photos of her that day, admittedly, a few of them are of her sitting down looking grumpy with a crumpet. _

_We drove home after 2 hours on the beach and Ginny said she would like to learn how to drive. _

_(I blame the crumpets)._

Rose grinned at the photo's of her Aunt looking severely pissed off with a half eaten crumpet. This grin faltered as the creak of a distant floorboard awoke her sleepy senses.

She heard footsteps pad over the landing, then another creak of a door to soon urge deep mumbles.

Rose sat up and strained her ears to listen.

It was her Dad and Mum talking.

"_Where've you been?" _

Silence.

"_I was in the shower" _

The creak of bed springs.

"_For an hour?" _

"_No. Ronald, I was with Ginny for twenty minuets, then when Harry came up, I decided to have a shower" _

Rose's heart began to thump double time. Her Mother had been with her Aunt. The information was a shock to the system.

Rose knew she wouldn't get any sleep, her mind had already began to race.

She had heard the shower, so she doubted her Mother was lying, she was just shadowing half of the truth.

The large question _What if?_ Lingered around in her mind.

If they had, then it meant she had no further plan, the train tracks had ran out and she was still on the train.

Rose gathered the letters back up and blew out the candle.

What was she going to do?

What the hell was going to happen?


End file.
